Last Sunday, the 49ers faced the Patriots and Bill Belichick, 68, a six-time Super Bowl champion who leads active NFL head coaches in wins (275).
This Sunday, they will face the Seahawks and Pete Carroll, 69, a Super Bowl champion who leads active NFC head coaches in wins (138).
Among the other similarities between Belichick and Carroll is this: They were the leading candidates to replace Bill Parcells as the Patriots head coach after the 1996 season and then-49ers president Carmen Policy played a role in owner Robert Kraft hiring Carroll.
That revelation is part of The Dynasty, a recent release by Jeff Benedict, a Sports Illustrated writer, who wrote Steve Young’s autobiography, My Life Behind The Spiral, in 2016.
The Dynasty chronicles the Patriots’ reign this century under Belichick and Tom Brady and notes Kraft, after buying the franchise in 1994, spent a day with Policy at the 49ers team headquarters. The purpose of his visit was to learn as much as Policy was willing to share about how the 49ers had built their dynasty.
Based on that meeting, Kraft trusted Policy and sought his counsel after a messy divorce from Parcells two years later.
At the time, Carroll was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. In addition, Policy had help manage the contentious relationship between owner Eddie DeBartolo and Bill Walsh that in some ways mirrored the partnership between Kraft and Parcells.
Policy’s assessment of Carroll? It now appears prescient.
“He’s not of the Walsh-(George) Seifert mold,” Policy told Kraft. “He’ll be more contemporary in terms of his approach to coaching. But he’s pretty smart. Very savvy … The younger players are going to like his style.”
His advice when Kraft asked about hiring Belichick, then a Patriots assistant who had strong ties to Parcells?
“You’re coming off this situation with Parcells,” Policy said. “I don’t know that you can take a risk like hiring Belichick.”
Of course, Kraft chose Carroll, fired him after three seasons and then hired Belichick in 2000.
Six Super Bowls later, it’s clear Policy’s advice, if it swayed Kraft, didn’t prevent the Patriots from creating a 49ers-like dynasty.
Eric Branch covers the 49ers for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch
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When a 49er helped Robert Kraft choose between Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick - San Francisco Chronicle
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